Gaming

Despite its large 70 Wh battery pack, the Victus 15 lasts for just a fraction of most other gaming laptops when running on battery power. Runtimes are so short that there could potentially be a bug with the numerous power profile settings.

Signs of the Lenovo Legion Y700 8-inch Android gaming tablet receiving a global launch soon have grown stronger. Recent clues indicated that the Legion Y700 might escape its domestic borders of China and now there are more hints that a worldwide release for the potential Apple iPad Mini 6 rival is on the cards.

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 Ti aka GeForce RTX 4080 12 GB has been benchmarked on 3DMark, where it performs on par with the GeForce RTX 3090 Ti, but lags behind the Radeon RX 7900 XTX and 7900 XT. Nvidia is said to launch the graphics card at CES 2023.

The Steam Winter Sale is in full swing, discounting some of the best games to much more reasonable prices. Let's take a look at some excellent open-world games that have had their prices slashed to below US$15 thanks to Steam's biggest annual event.

With a list price of US$2,599, the MSI Raider GE66 12UGS-238 gaming laptop is quite expensive. However, the 24% Amazon discount brings this Intel Core i7-12700H-powered machine below the US$2,000 threshold. It also sports NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti graphics, Thunderbolt 4, 32 GB memory, and 1 TB storage.

The Steam Winter Sale is, perhaps ironically, one of the hottest gaming events around, and usually features steep discounts on some of the best games currently available. As a result, some excellent action-adventure titles have been discounted to below US$5.

Intel's upcoming Raptor Lake-HX is now almost confirmed thanks to a recent leak of an MSI Raider GE78 HX laptop powered by the Core i9-13980HX on Geekbench. The CPU seems to be offering desktop-class performance with single-core and multi-core scores almost on par with a 170 W AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. The Core i9-13980HX also seems to be significantly faster than a leaked 12-core Apple M2 Max running the same benchmark.

Images of the Nintendo Switch OLED Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition have shown up online. The console has a Zelda-themed dock and Joy-cons, but does not include a copy of the game with it.

One of the best-performing RTX 3060 gaming laptops on the market has now been discounted by more than US$500, which makes the Asus TUF Gaming F15 a quite intriguing choice in the price range around US$1,000.

The sleek wireless gaming headset, which can also be connected to Sony's PlayStation 4 and 5, the Nintendo Switch as well as Apple iOS devices, has hit its lowest price in 30 days on Amazon, which is where the Razer Barracuda can be now ordered for just US$119.

The Nintendo Switch 2 – or Super Switch – is unlikely to make an appearance in 2023, despite the apparent sales momentum dip experienced by the current Switch console. Discussion about the expected next-generation Switch also alluded to the possibility that plans for a Switch Pro were canned and replaced by the Switch OLED Model.

Nvidia is yet to officially confirm the existence of an RTX 4070 Ti, but Chinese e-tailers have already started taking pre-orders with prices ranging from ¥7,199 (US$1,032) to ¥8,399 (US$1,204) for partner cards. The purported RTX 4070 Ti is expected to be just a renamed RTX 4080 12 GB that was unlaunched recently following widespread criticism. Nvidia is expected to price the card similar to the unlaunched RTX 4080 12 GB at US$899 MSRP, but partner cards, particularly in Asian markets, can have a significant markup.

An Alienware gaming monitor purportedly capable of up to a 500 Hz refresh rate has surfaced on social media. According to the leak, the Alienware AW2524H will make an official appearance at CES 2023. A couple of rumored key specifications for the Alienware 500 Hz gaming monitor are included in the Twitter post along with a single image.

Samsung has launched another gaming monitor in Korea, this time in the form of the 43-inch Odyssey Neo G7 with model number G70NC. The device features a Quantum Mini-LED display that can offer 4K resolution output and a gaming-friendly refresh rate of 144 Hz. The new 43-inch Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 has a price tag of 1.25 million won (~US$982).

The AMD FreeSync-compatible LG 32GN650-B Ultragear gaming monitor comes with a 32-inch screen and 95% sRGB color gamut alongside HDR10 support, 1 ms response time, 165 Hz refresh rate, and 2,560 X 1,440 pixels. With a list price of US$399.99, it is now down 33% on Amazon to a more wallet-friendly price tag of US$266.99.

Lenovo's first gaming Chromebook has some great specs for under $600 USD including its 12th gen Core i5 U-series CPU, full sRGB IPS display, and a native 120 Hz refresh rate. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until Chrome OS is updated to fully support the latter.

Lenovo may finally be targeting an international release for its much sought-after Legion Y700 Android gaming tablet. The 8.8-inch slate was launched in China in the first quarter of 2022, and while Lenovo has also released an Ultimate Edition of the Legion Y700 for the same market since then, a global launch for the original device has yet to be announced.

The RedMagic 8 Pro series is now official as the most "evolved" form of its premium Android mobile line to date. The brand asserts that the 2 new smartphones go beyond their traditional e-sports heritage with a more streamlined, "futuristic" design and rear cameras that may be taken seriously for once. Then again, the 8 Pro Plus (or Pro+) goes back to its roots somewhat with SKUs that combine its OEM's fastest charging tech and an RGB-lit active fan to help keep its new top-end processor cool.

Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding is today's free game on the Epic Games Store. One can redeem it in the next twenty-four hours, but it's best to wait a bit because of the sheer number of people trying to claim it.

Compatible with Sony PlayStation 3, 4, and 5 consoles and Windows 7 to Windows 11 PCs, the Logitech G29 racing wheel features stainless steel paddle shifters, a hand-stitched leather wheel, and dual-motor force feedback. With a list price of US$399.99, it is now discounted by 32% on Amazon, so the price tag reads US$272.99.

Although it sports a lower resolution than the Odyssey G9 and Neo G9, the Samsung Odyssey Ark sports a massive 55-inch screen size, four corner speakers alongside two central woofers, and provides unique features such as Cockpit Mode and Eclipse Lighting. The ongoing 29% discount brings its price down to US$2,499.99.

The 2022 Steam Winter Sale started on December 22 and ends on January 5, 2023 when we're all still recovering from the holiday feasting. Some of 2022's gaming hits will be at an all-time-low price for the duration of the sale and are well worth a first or second look.

The free PlayStation Plus games coming to Sony’s subscription service in January 2023 have been leaked. The trio of titles is headed by a hugely popular Star Wars game, while PlayStation Plus subscribers with a PS4 or PS5 can also enjoy free access to a controversial title from Bethesda and a Metroidvania-type game.

With all the talk about AAA titles like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Sonic Frontiers, it's easy to miss some of the smaller releases that happen on Steam. There were a number of excellent titles from a range of genres that came out towards the middle of December 2022.

RedMagic asserts that its upcoming 8 Pro series will emerge as the most "evolved" form of its premium Android gaming smartphone line on December 26, 2022. To this end, the brand is hyping its upcoming flagships with a sneak peek at their second-gen under-display camera screens. They are touted to be joined by improved internal specs, main rear cameras and speakers.

Released as the successor of the classic NH-D14 air cooler, the Noctua NH-D15 features 6 heatpipes and two NF-A15 140 mm fans with PWM support, also including high-end NT-H1 thermal paste. With a noise level of only 19.2 dB, this premium cooler is now 30% off, down to US$99.95 from a US$142.18 list price.

Discounted by 28% down to US$1,653.80 from a list price of US$2,299.99, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 is similar to the less expensive Odyssey G9. The main difference between them is that it has HDMI 2.1 inputs and Mini LED backlighting, this providing slightly brighter images with improved local dimming.

In a reply to the UK CMA back in October, Microsoft has stated that Sony has permanently blocked popular titles such as Final Fantasy VII Remake (FF7R), Final Fantasy XVI (FFXVI), Bloodborne, and Silent Hill 2 remaster from coming to the Xbox. Microsoft, in turn, will be making three upcoming Bethesda games, likely Starfield, Redfall, and another unknown title, Xbox and PC exclusive.

Thanks to a same-day store pickup option, Best Buy's current deal for the popular Logitech G604 Lightspeed is an excellent last-minute gift for avid gamers who could use a wireless gaming mouse upgrade just in time for Christmas.

With a list price of US$1,399.99, the 49-inch Samsung Odyssey G9 gaming monitor comes with a curve that matches that of the human eye and features a 240 Hz refresh rate alongside a 125% sRGB color gamut. Thanks to the ongoing 32% discount, those interested can purchase it from Amazon for US$949.02.

Although this is not the fastest Core i7-12700H implementation we've seen, the combination of this processor with an RTX 3070 Laptop GPU impresses in our review of the MSI Crosshair 15 Rainbow Six: Extraction Edition. The laptop also offers a good QHD 165 Hz panel that can come in handy for content creators as well.

Can the MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ keep up with the fastest Snapdragon on the market? We answer this question and more in our review of the Asus ROG Phone 6D and 6D Ultimate. Here's a quick summary of what we found.

Atari is ceasing production of the Atari VCS, just 18 months into the console's lifespan. With revenues drying up and losses mounting, Atari is looking to third parties for licensing deals to plug the gap.

Sony's expensive answer to the Xbox Elite controller - the upcoming DualSense Edge - costs US$200 and features a rich set of customization options for dedicated gamers, including easy to replace modular joysticks. It will, however, also come with shorter battery life than the regular DualSense that ships with the PlayStation 5.

Packing an IPS panel with an extreme refresh rate of 360 Hz and NVIDIA Reflex Latency Analyzer, 1 ms GtG response time, as well as sRGB 99% color gamut, the 24.5-inch Alienware AW2521H gaming monitor has an MSRP tag that reads US$649.99. Amazon's current list price of US$627.89 is now down to US$457.

Fresh rumors indicate Nvidia wants to retain its leads in consumer graphics with the upcoming Blackwell RTX 50 series. Blackwell is likely to make the transition to a chiplet architecture along with a new denoising accelerator directly built into the RT pipeline. Nvidia apparently also had plans of releasing a consumer version of Hopper just in case AMD beat them to the finish line with RDNA 3.

Samsung has started selling the Dragon Knight G7 in China, where the device is available for CNY 4,999 (~US$717). Sharing design cues with Samsung's Odyssey gaming monitor series, the Dragon Knight G7 contains a 32-inch IPS panel that outputs at 4K, 144 Hz, 400 nits and supports modern image tearing reduction standards, among other features.

RedMagic smartphones have often gone to extremes in presenting themselves as prime rivals to devices such as the Asus ROG Phone series from first glance. Nevertheless, the flagship Android line is set to move beyond that in its eighth generation, with a Pro model that clearly takes inspiration from flagship iPhones and possibly the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S23 flagships as part of a matching brand-identity update.

Featuring the Lenovo Legion AI Engine that dynamically shifts power between CPU and GPU for the best gaming performance, the ‎82K8007UUS model of the Legion Slim 7 gaming laptop is now 30% off on Amazon. This generous discount brings the US$1,709.99 list price of this Ryzen 7 5800H-powered machine down to US$1,199.99.

Dubbed "Apex Predators" and labeled 2.23, War Thunder's final update of the year introduces three iconic rank VIII 4th generation fighters, namely the F-16, the MiG-29, and the Tornado. Other changes include new and updated ground vehicles, new locations and missions, interface updates, as well as new music and sound effects.

New PlayStation 5 Pro rumors have been set off thanks to recent comments made by Sony executive Hideaki Nishino. However, while many outlets have opined that 2023 could be the year that a PS5 Pro model is unleashed, others believe a more likely outcome is that a PS5 Slim console will be introduced in the second half of the year.

The PlayStation VR2 has been developed together with the PS5 from the very beginning, said Sony, in order to create a perfect match and a single USB-C cable connection. Porting original PlayStation VR games to the PS VR2 won't be an easy task, as the rendering and controller tracking are rather different on the new headset.

The GPD Win 4 is now available to back via Indiegogo. Not only is the GPD Win 4 smaller than the ONEXPLAYER 2, but it is also US$100 cheaper while maintaining the Ryzen 7 6800U, Radeon 680M, 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. GPD offers the Win 4 with an optional LTE module too, as well as up to 2 TB of storage and 32 GB of RAM.

One-netbook has started selling the ONEXPLAYER 2 through Indiegogo. Initially available for US$899, the ONEXPLAYER 2 combines AMD's most powerful RDNA 2 iGPU with detachable controllers, an 8.4-inch display and a large battery, among other features.

Epic Games will be posting a free game on the Epic Games Store between now and the end of the year. Running concurrently with discounts throughout the holiday season, as well as a 25% voucher, the games giveaway refreshes daily at 16:00 UTC.